TO SAFETY. >> IF YOU SEE THAT VIDEO, YOU
WOULDN'T THINK SOMEBODY IS RUSHED TO SAFETY.
>>> WE BEGIN THIS HALF HOUR WITH FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER
AND LONG-TIME CONFIDANT ROGER STONE WHO FOUND HIMSELF AT THE
CENTER OF THE FIRESTORM OVER JAMES COMEY'S OUSTING.
>> MULTIPLE REPORTS SAY HE ACTUALLY ADVISED THE PRESIDENT
TO FIRE THE FBI DIRECTOR. WELL, NOW STONE IS THE SUBJECT
OF A NEW DOCUMENTARY ON HIS LIFE CALLED "GET ME ROGER STONE" THAT
CHRONICLES HIS 30-YEAR FRIENDSHIP WITH MR. TRUMP.
>> I WAS LIKE A JOCKEY LOOKING FOR A HORSE.
YOU CAN'T WIN THE RACE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE HORSE.
I WAS WORKING WITH THE GROUP TO ARRANGE A LUNCH.
THIS IS KIND OF THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE POWER OF TRUMP.
THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN TRUMP. >> ROGER STONE IS HERE ALONG
WITH THE FILMMAKER, MORGAN PEHME.
GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH. NOT SURE HOW THE WHITE HOUSE IS
GOING TO LIKE THE HORSE JOCKEY
ANALOGY, BUT WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A LITTLE WHILE.
SO YOU MAKE THE HEADLINES AGAIN, SO PEOPLE IN "THE WASHINGTON
POST," CNN, POLITICO, NEW YORK TIMES, SAID YOU WERE ONE OF THE
PEOPLE WHO STRONGLY URGED PRESIDENT TRUMP TO FIRE JAMES
COMEY. TRUE OR NOT TRUE?
>> I'M NOT THE SOURCE OF ANY OF THOSE STORIES.
YOU WON'T SEE ME QUOTED IN ANY OF THOSE STORIES.
>> DID YOU URGE PRESIDENT TRUMP TO FIRE JAMES COMEY?
>> I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN THE POSITION THAT CONVERSATIONS
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND I IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE AND THE
CONTENT AND FREQUENCY WOULD REMAIN PRIVATE.
I'M NOT GOING TO CONTRADICT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
HERE. THAT SAID, MY VIEWS ON FIRING
MR. COMEY ARE EXTREMELY WELL-KNOWN.
>> BUT COME ON, ROGER, DON'T PLAY FAST AND LOOSE WITH ME
HERE, DID YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WHEN YOU SAID, BY
THE WAY, THIS GUY NEEDS TO GO? >> I'M NOT GOING TO CHARACTERIZE
ANY CONVERSATION I'VE HAD WITH THE PRESIDENT ON THIS SUBJECT OR
ANY OTHER. I DO THINK HE NEEDED TO GO.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT DID THE RIGHT THING.
I THINK HE BECAME UNACCOUNTABLE. >> JUST TO BUTTON IT UP, FAIR TO
SAY, YOU'RE NOT DENYING THAT YOU RECOMMENDED THAT HE FIRE COMEY,
YOU'RE NOT DENYING THAT. >> I'M A VETERAN MEMO WRI WRITE
WELL, SO NO, I'M NOT. >> THE SECOND PART OF IT, WHEN
WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SPOKE TO MR. TRUMP?
>> FAIRLY RECENTLY BUT NOT YESTERDAY.
>> WOULD YOU BE SURPRISED IF A WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL SAID IT HAD
BEEN MONTHS. >> THAT WOULD BE INCORRECT.
>> AND DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF SAID IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME.
>> A LONG TIME, I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU DEFINE THAT.
LOOK, I AM A LOYAL SUPPORTER OF DONALD TRUMP.
I THINK HE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A TRANSFORMATIONAL PRESIDENT.
I'M NOT GOING TO CONTRADICT HIM HERE ON THE "TODAY" SHOW.
IN THE CASE OF JAMES COMEY, HE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION.
>> YOU'RE ELATED BY THE FIRING OF JAMES COMEY, FAIR TO SAY?
>> THAT'S FAIR TO SAY. >> YOU TWEETED THIS, WHAT COMEY
DID TO HILLARY CLINTON WAS DISGRATEFUL.
I'M GLAD TRUMP FIRED HIM OVER IT.
ISN'T THAT A BIT DISINGENUOUS. >> SARCASM.
>> YOU ARE THE GUY WHO SAID, LOCK HER UP.
YOU PRAISED JULIAN ASSANGE FOR LEAKING THE E-MAILS.
>> SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BE A BIT SARCASTIC TO GET ATTENTION.
>> WERE YOU BEING SARCASTIC WHEN YOU SAID I'M GLAD TRUMP FIRED
HIM OVER IT. IN OTHER WORDS, IT WAS ALL ABOUT
THE E-MAIL INVESTIGATION, NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA HERE?
>> WELL, THE RUSSIAN COLLUSION SCANDAL IS A SCANDAL WITHOUT
EVIDENCE TO THIS DAY. THERE IS STILL NO EVIDENCE THAT
WOULD EVER HOLD UP IN A U.S. COURT OF LAW.
>> THE INVESTIGATION ISN'T COMPLETE, CORRECT?
>> RIGHT. BUT I KNOW WHAT IS IN MY E-MAILS
AND KNOW WHAT IS IN MY TEXT AND KNOW WHAT THE CONTEXT OF MY
PHONE CALLS ARE. AND I BELIEVE THAT I WAS UNDER
SURVEILLANCE FOR SOME PERIOD. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS
YOU'LL FIND IN THERE, ROUGHLY THAT YOU WON'T FIND ANY
RUSSIANS. >> DO YOU IN YOUR HEART OF
HEARTS BELIEVE THAT JAMES COMEY WAS FIRED BY THIS PRESIDENT
BECAUSE OF THE HILLARY CLINTON E-MAIL ISSUE?
OR BECAUSE OF RUSSIA? >> THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH
RUSSIA. I THINK IT HAD TO DO WITH THE
FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT NO LONGER HAD CONFIDENCE IN HIM.
HE HAD BECOME UNACCOUNTABLE, INVESTIGATING SOME CRIMES HE
THOUGHT WERE IMPORTANT, IGNORING OTHERS.
I THINK IT WAS TIME FOR A CLEAN BREAK.
>> SOMETHING ELSE YOU SAID, SOMEWHERE DICK NIXON IS SMILING,
ELUDING TO THE SATURDAY NIGHT MASSACRE.
YOU KNOW THAT THE FIRING OF ARCHIBALD COX SET IN SERIES A
MOTION THAT LED TO THE DOWNFALL OF RICHARD NIXON.
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT HISTORY REPEATING HIMSELF?
>> I KNEW THE ANALOGY COULD BE MADE, THAT'S THE POINT OF THE
REFERENCE. BUT WATER GATE WAS AT FULL BLAST
FOR 18 MONTHS. ARCHIBALD COX WAS INVESTIGATING
RICHARD NIXON. DONALD TRUMP IS NOT UNDER
INVESTIGATION. MR. COMEY SO FAR HAS COME UP
EMPTY HANDED BASED ON WHAT I HAVE SEEN.
>> CAN WE ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, HAS THE FBI CONTACTED
YOU? >> THEY HAVE NOT.
>> STILL HAVE NOT CONTACTED YOU? >> HAVE NOT.
>> HAS THERE BEEN A SUBPOENA FOR ANY OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT THEY
NEEDED FROM YOU? HAVE THEY SUBPOENAED YOU OR
REQUESTED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM?
>> NO. THE HOUSE AND SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES HAVE REQUESTED DOCUMENTS.
WE WILL COMPLY FULLY WITH THEIR REQUESTS, BUT SINCE MEMBERS OF
BOTH OF THOSE COMMITTEES HAVE DISPARAGED ME IN PUBLIC, I WOULD
LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY IN PUBLIC.
>> ARE YOU PERSONALLY RELIEVED THAT COMEY'S NO LONGER ON THE
JOB, IN TERMS OF HOW IT RELATES TO ANY LEGAL JEOPARDY YOU MIGHT
FACE? >> I HAVE NO LEGAL JEOPARDY.
THE IDEA OF RUSSIAN COLLUSION IS A CANARD, IT'S A FALSEHOOD.
>> MORGAN, WE FIND IT HARD TO PIN HIM DOWN.
WE SPENT FIVE YEARS PLUS FOLLOWING HIM AROUND TO MAKE
THIS DOCUMENTARY. DO YOU FIND IT AS HARD TO GET
THE TRUE PICTURE OF ROGER STONE? >> ROGER IS A VERY COMPLEX
PERSON. THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO MAKE
THIS MOVIE ABOUT HIM. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT ROGER HAS
A TENDENCY TO TAKE ON DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HE HASN'T DONE AND
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE CASE WITH THE RUSSIAN COLLUSION STORY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, AS OUR FILL DEMONSTRATES, ROGER HAS
BEEN IN THE MIX OF A LOT OF THE MOST TRANSFORMATIVE AND
DEPENDING UPON WHERE YOU FALL IN THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM,
DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS IN OUR HISTORY SINCE WATER GATE.
>> ROGER, I HAVE TO LEAVE IT WITH THIS, THIS FILM SHOWS THAT
YOU ARE THE PERSON OTHER THAN DONALD TRUMP THAT DESERVES THE
MOST CREDIT FOR HIS PRESIDENCY. SIMPLE QUESTION, DO YOU AGREE?
>> NO, DONALD TRUMP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS PRESIDENCY.
I'M JUST HIS BIGGEST BOOSTER. >> ROGER